The Lady's Slipper

Westmorland #1

by Deborah Swift

1660. King Charles II has returned from exile, but memories of the English Civil War still rankle. There are old scores to settle, and religious differences threaten to overturn a fragile peace. When Alice Ibbetson discovers a rare orchid, the Lady’s Slipper, growing in a wood belonging to Richard Wheeler, she is captivated by its beauty— though Wheeler, a Quaker, is determined to keep the flower where God intended it to grow.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Romance, British Literature, 17th Century, Historical Romance

436 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2010

About the author

I am a novelist living in the Lake District in England. I write historical fiction but read widely - contemporary and classic fiction. I choose my books carefully, so I don't read many duds. If I do, they are not reviewed here, as a gesture of respect to other writers.

I blog at my website
www.deborahswift.com

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a terrific book. I would have given it five stars, but am not usually fond of romances. I absolutely love the historical aspects of the novel and was pleasantly surprised at how fascinating the story of the Lady's Slipper orchid was and at how it was integrated into the story. The characters were so very likable.

[Nicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

**Careful darling; Spoilers**
The Lady’s Slipper… I thought that using a rare flower as a main plot device was certainly unique and unusual and was one reason I was drawn to this book. However, the story itself was simply not something that ultimately appealed to me. I didn't really care for the characters and found myself more annoyed than drawn in. This was a long read, and it kind of ruined my enjoyment. I saw this book as more of a task than an escape. The main interesting character flits from being in the Puritan Army to a Quaker and then decides in an instant that it just won’t work and turns his back on his religion. The history is well done in this book but I expected a little more intrigue from it since that is the premise of the book is murder and insanity. What made it worse, for me, was the romance portion felt thrown together and seemed out of place. Apparently the characters jump from lover to lover as quickly as they do religion. On a high point, they did a beautiful job establishing the Quaker religion in the aftermath of an English civil war, under its new regent Charles II.

[Amy Bruno · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s amazing that the theft of one little harmless orchid could set off a series of happenings that will turn three lives upside down!

Alice is still in deep mourning over the death of her little sister Flora and has grown moody, introverted and spends most of her time among her paints and flower paintings. When Richard Wheeler shows her the rare Lady’s Slipper orchid growing on his land, she feels she must save it and ensure its survival.

But Alice is not the only one with a plan for the orchid.

Richard Wheeler, a former member of the Puritan army who has given up his money and possessions to become a Quaker and live more peacefully after the horrors of war believes the orchid should stay where God placed it and Sir Geoffrey Fisk, a nobleman and land owner who has a painful skin condition wants the flower for medicinal purposes.

But possessing the orchid does not come at a cheap price as these three will come to find out and will leave one fighting for their life and another losing their sanity.

The unique plot of The Lady’s Slipper is what initially made me want to read it (plus the great cover) and it did not disappoint! Deborah Swift has written an engaging novel about life in England after Cromwell, the Quakers, and a rare flower that changed the lives of those who came in contact with it. I can definitely recommend this book and am very much looking forward to reading Swift’s next work, The Gilded Lily!

[Lupinus Texensis · Rating 1 out of 5]

This movie is what would happen if Jerry Bruckheimer had tried to produce and direct Shakespeare in Love.

It would make no sense. It would entertain no one. And everyone who watched it would feel both angry and also somehow diminished in intellect for having seen it.

[Misfit · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://misfitandmom.wordpress.com/201...

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, quick read -- definitely a page-turner. I really enjoyed the historical aspects of the story, but I was not crazy about many of the characters in this story. I cared about what happened to Alice and to Richard, but they were confusing characters and I found them difficult to really understand. And there were many characters who were just absolutely evil, which makes the book difficult to really love. (I actually couldn't decide whether to give this book three or four stars, but a few days after finishing the book I realized that it did keep me interested enough to want to read it all the way to the end, and I did actually enjoy it, so I am giving it four stars.)

The Lady's Slipper is a very rare orchid which showed up in the garden of Richard Wheeler. Alice, who lives next door to Richard, is completely obsessed with this flower (for many reasons) and she tells Richard that it should be removed from the garden in order to keep it safe. But Richard is a Quaker and he believes that the orchid should remain in the garden, where God intended it to be. So Alice sneaks out of her home in the middle of the night and steals the orchid. This is how the book begins, and the book really takes off from this point.

This is a very interesting time period in England. The story takes place shortly after King Charles II returns from exile -- The Restoration. There are still very bad feelings between the puritans (the people who followed Cromwell) and the royalists, and the tension between these two groups definitely keep things very interesting in this story. Deborah Swift, the author, certainly did her research, and, as I mentioned above, the historical elements were fascinating. Richard and his Quaker friends are quite interesting, and I really learned a lot about the philosophy of the Quakers in this book.

Aside from some very devious characters, another thing that I found disturbing about this book is that there were a lot of questions that were left unanswered -- not so much for the reader, but for the people in the story. It bothered me that I knew some important things about the lives of some of the people in the story, but the people themselves did not seem to want to go out of their way to find out the truth. (I don't know if any of this makes sense, but I'm being very careful to not turn this review into a spoiler!!!!)

Basically, I would say that anyone who enjoys historical fiction will probably enjoy this book, and although there were certain things that I found disappointing, I still really enjoyed reading this book.

Thank you to Eileen at MacMillan for listing this book as a First Reads giveaway, and thank you to Goodreads for choosing me as a winner!!

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gratifyingly authentic insight into 17th Century life, wrought with heated passion and sordid brutality

Deborah Swift cuts strait to the heart of history with exquisite European Literature, filled with realistic accounts and faithful links to our past. Having loved “The Gilded Lily” I was elated to be given the opportunity of delving into another tempting read; confident by the credibility of the author’s ability at being sensitively aware of how past events are perceived. Alice Ibbetson, author and Botanist is a magnetic character whose story is one filled with heart, poignancy and evocative implications. D. Swift acutely captures every single detail; from clothing to setting therefore the overpowering ambience is utterly breathtaking with you transported back in time. Beautifully detailed descriptions and atmospheric this sumptuously seductive story must have been written in liquid gold.

This novel demonstrates romantic historical fiction at its very best and in my mind it stands out above many other top authors, for many reasons including the attention to detail, background research and sparkling characterization. The entire concept of this novel is unique, and which oozes originality and inventiveness from page one. Full of unexpected twists in the plot, surprising characters and shocking events that make you gasp the impressive scope of this story is quite remarkable and – may I add – a refreshing delight! Focusing on the time after the civil war when King Charles II is at the centre of religious strife and social discord is certainly challenging, but D. Swift’s accomplished style triumphs once again. This is an ideal book for any reading club or book group and one that I would highly recommend not only to fans of historical fiction, but which can be read with others or personally.

I was hooked throughout with the delicately interwoven, numerous plot lines keeping me attentive so as to ponder over the mystery. The Lady’s Slipper is wonderfully rich and it captures the elegance of the times as well as the gritty harshness. You are able to loose yourself within the story and connect with the characters, due to them growing as the story progresses and develops.

If you love historical romance then I implore you to seek out this splendid novel, written by an exceptional author whose books contain that extra ‘something special’. If this review doesn’t peak your interest then I am sure the gorgeous cerulean, yellow and gold cover (American edition) will catch your eye!

*I won a signed paperback copy of Deborah Swift’s novel ‘The Lady’s Slipper’ through her book blog as a giveaway prize.
Link: http://riddleofwriting.deborahswift.c...*

www.deborahswift.com

[Samidha; समिधा · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!
I was meaning to read this book since a long time now. I wanted to finish this and get on with my TBR pile.
I was very reluctant to go into this book as I knew almost next to nothing about the Puritan war as well as the Restoration period.
Thankfully though this book does indulge into much historical framework regarding the war.
One of the most accurate descriptions of the time, society, hierarchy as well as setting has been presented in this book.
Absolutely stunning!
The way she has portrayed the entire backdrop and the setting was something only well researched and talented authors can do.
This follows the lives of many people, amongst them the three most pivotal characters are Alice Ibbetson, Richard Wheeler and Geoffrey Fisk.
As far the story line went it was very catching and intriguing. It kept me reading. The only issue I have is that it could've been curtailed a little. The last parts could've been edited because they were a little dragged.
I liked the twist of the title. Yes, there is a subtle twist, not hard to guess but I liked it none the less.
The characters were not all likable, even though Swift has tried to make each of them at least seem fair in their own endeavors.
I felt like Alice was too preoccupied to be the main character(one of the main character). Wheeler and Fisk still had spots of reality in them.
But, whatever said and done this book turned out to be way better than what I had expected.
There is also a follow up coming for the book, or is already out, which I am planning to getting my hands on.
I am an absolute fan of the setting and world that Swift had built and I want to have more of it.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Such. a long. read. Seriously. With the worst last 30 pages ever. She has 430 pages to develop a love story and instead decides to develop it in two. I love a good romance, but in this case I could have done without it considering the terrible job she did of creating an relationship between the two characters before having them fall madly in love with each other. I'd say about 200 hundred pages of this book are worth reading and the rest are just tolerable. Don't waste your time. You'll pick it up because it sounds like a good story, you'll continue to read it because you'll assume that eventually the story will become more interesting (it semi-does) and when you finally finish it, you will be utterly disappointed...or annoyed. Fair warning.

[Holly Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Lady’s Slipper—Innocent Wildflower or Telltale Evidence?

Author Deborah Swift took a summer walk in the woods of the mountain district in England where she resides. She discovered Britain’s rarest wildflower, the elegant lady’s slipper, and wrote a poem about it. Feeling the poem paid insufficient homage to the rare orchid, she fashioned a chapter where it could be admired by characters. Chapters blossomed into a book, The Lady’s Slipper, featuring main character, Alice Ibbetson, a botanist and artist.

After years in theater as a costume designer, Swift has an uncanny ability to set a scene so the reader feels a curtain has just been opened on a new act of a play. She has a knack for attaching an attitude to a description. Water is “as soft as a horse’s muzzle.” A stew is “grayish meat and kale swimming in a greasy liquid that should have been gravy.”

Weary of reviews where the plot line is endlessly copied from other sources, this reviewer prefers to whet your appetite for some characters you will meet in the pages of this engrossing book. Herbalist, spy, skank maid, traitor, botanist, artist, soldier turned peacemaker, prisoner, perjurer , flibbertigibbet , murderer, cook, thief, arsonist and accused witch all join hands to populate this romantic historical fiction novel.

Early 17th century England is reeling after its Civil War and struggling to return to a sense of normalcy with its new regent, Charles II. The Lady’s Slipper takes a magnifying glass to the era’s societal and religious changes. Its characters wear the turbulence of the times on their sleeves as their personal lives dip in and swirl, intermingling with unexpected turns in the plot.

The novel’s concept is unique. An orchid that bloomed for thousands of years is stolen, disturbing the natural order of things. Characters surprise us. Plot twists are accomplished in a sentence or two. The reading is challenging, but rewarding. Concentration is required to keep track of myriad plot lines and new characters, but The Lady’s Slipper is worth your time and attention. The most touching scenes are those in the cell shared by Alice and Hannah. Alice’s character growth is noteworthy. The writing is impressive and believable until a peculiarity in the plot toward the end disturbed the narrative’s rhythm.

The Lady’s Slipper is published in a “Reading Group Gold” edition which enhanced my enjoyment of the book. Sneak an early peek at these end materials which include an author interview, historical background, recommended partner reading and readers guide.

An extraordinary novel that would have earned five stars had the ending not been so abrupt.

Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! The more I read the more I wanted to read. The setting is in Lancaster, England and New England in the 1660s to 1695. Everything including the social customs and clothing of the upper and lower class, and the speech were carefully researched and set into this book as seamlessly. Even the names of the characters fit, the last names of the characters were appropriate for that region of England. I know this last fact because one of my family surnames was in this book and was correct for that place and time.

Lady's Slipper is rich with symbolism, the flower itself, the stolen dirty slippers, the kind of dress of the characters, and the conscious choice speech. I was drawn into the story and it would not let me go! As I usually do, I carried this book with me to the doctor's appointment and read in the waiting room but I found that I did not want to let go of this book even during the tests. This book is that engrossing. I don't want to spoil the story for you. This book left me hungry for more and the author, Deborah Swift is currently writing another book that will tell us what happened to one of the minor characters.

The five characters in ‘The Lady's Slipper’, were very well developed, complex and evolving with the circumstances. The themes are of love, choices of treachery, jealousy and tenderness ran through the book. The bonuses in this book were in the back of the book: an Interview with the author, an essay by the author about the inspiration of this book and how the ideas involved grew, the historical background, some fun facts and recommend books that tie in some way with this book.

I am eagerly looking forward to Deborah Swift’s next book. I received this advance reading copy as a part of contest with GoodReads but this in no way influence my opinion of this book.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a review copy from the http://www.hns-conference.org.uk/ goodie bag and briefly met Deborah Swift at the Conference.

I started it yesterday and I literally couldn't put 'The Lady's Slipper' down!

I finished it today.

Verdict: I loved it!

It's got everything I love; a pacy story; proper plotting and setting. It's got botany and herbalism. It's got cunning folk. It's got art. It's got mystery. It's got romance without the ghastly (but so often obligatory) Elizabeth Bennett conceit of an angry and obviously mistaken heroine. It's even got strong male characterisation and dynamics between the them.

It has the tastes and smells, the look the feel and an interestingly powerful sense of audio running through it and, AND it's got plenty of unobtrusive but beautifully researched period detail underpinning it all.

It's particularly interesting because it subtly references the Civil War, the Restoration, the politics in the wake of the Diggers, the Covenanters, the Quakers and treats them all with elegance and respect using a very light hand, without actually bigging up the Big Issues.

Woo! Impressed!

Can't wait to read The Gilded Lily now...

[Marg · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's nothing like an aversion to reading connected books out of order and an impending blog tour date for the second book to get you reading a book that you have had sitting on your shelf for a couple of years! Sometimes that may be a bit detrimental if you have the pressure of getting something read, and you aren't really enjoying the book, but in this case, I was pretty happy to get lost in this unusual book from Deborah Swift.

There are several reasons why this book is unusual. The first is the setting in Restoration England. This is one of the few books I can remember reading that is set in that time frame where the antics of King Charles II and his Merry old court are not front and centre in the narrative. Instead we have a young woman with an affinity for plants, a Quaker and small town prejudices and intrigues - the first two of which are quite different as well.

To read more of my thoughts about this book, head to my review

http://www.theintrepidreader.com/2012...

[Tobyann Aparisi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cherished this opportunity to read such a beautiful and wonderful book. I don't typically read this type of book but I did not find it disappointing. It is a beautifully written story with great detail to the characters and bringing the reader to the time period of which these events were to have occured. This book will be a treasured gift in anyone's collection. A fine mystery and touching story. Thank you for allowing me to be a first reads reader of this excellent book.

[Marja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Majority of this book was a 4 star read for me. Sadly, this sat in my currently reading shelf for over two months, constantly overridden by other books. Yet, whenever I opened my kindle app to read couple of chapters, I found myself thinking that I really like this book. I think this was mostly well-written and well-developed story with multiple interesting characters and storylines placed in a fascinating historical setting. I liked the main character Alice for her passion for plants and art, and I liked Richard and Stephen, and I thought the rest of the characters were, if not very likable, still pretty believable.

Unfortunately, this book took a turn to worse during the last hundred pages in my opinion. I didn't like how the story resolved and the romance was poorly done. There was this instalove quality of it and frankly I didn't believe it. I did like the end of the epilogue, I think the story sort of came to a full circle there but still I would have hoped the last hundred pages to be different. In the end this was 3-3.5 star read for me. This was free on kindle when I got this and despite my disappointment on how things turned out, this was definitely one of the better kindle freebies.

I think fans of historical fiction might enjoy this.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book.

[Carol W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in a rural village, in turbulent times, with several powerful characters, including.....


Alice, still in mourning for her young sister, becomes obsessed with the idea that she is the only person who can save The Lady's Slipper and breed more for the orchid's future.


Thomas - Alice's husband who was kind enough to marry Alice and take on her young sister, Flora.


Wheeler, former soldier who has given up his luxurious lifestyle and vowed to live as a peaceful Quaker.


Sir Geoffrey Fisk, patron to Alice and land owner in the village. He has history with Wheeler.


Stephen, Sir Geoffrey's son who has not been quite the son he wanted.


Alice, caught up in the grief of losing her dear sister, steals the only Lady's Slipper growing on the land of her neighbour Richard Wheeler, but she is not the only one interested in the orchid.


So begins a series of fateful events caused by the residents of Westmorland, which include adultery, a murder, and one of the villagers, wrongly, being sentenced to the gallows for the murder. Each have their own selfish intentions, and little regard for each other's well-being or fate. It was quite disturbing how little regard these characters had, for their own people, at times but made for a gripping read.


It was very interesting to read the comparisons between Quakers and the gentry and how their beliefs and lifestyles differed.


The author is a costume designer and this comes through in her writing with fabulous description of the clothing of the period and the difference in dress from the kitchen maid, to the Quakers to the Lord of the Manor. I really enjoyed the detail the author used to describe the sights, sounds and flavours of the period. At times I almost felt I was there and got caught up in the frightening, out of control situations that characters were finding themselves in.


Behind the beautiful cover and delicate title lies a powerful story not to be missed.


5 out of 5 for me!

[Book Him Danno · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to give it 3 1/2 stars, it was good but very long and drawn out. The story was interesting, but the descriptions were huge and went on and on and on. Alice is lost and thinks she can somehow find herself in the propagation of a rare orchid, but she discovers that it only brings pain into her life. Richard is also lost and looking for something to help him get over the war and the horrors he had to live. They both need something, but neither knows what.
Geoffrey is a piece of work who desperately is looking for a cure to his scaly skin. His search drives him a bit mad and the death of a old women drives him over the edge. The story revolves around the orchid and everyones obsession with it, Alice wants it for her sister, Geoffrey for its medicinal properties, Richard for its place in the world and the old women for its herbal value. Alice does realize she should never have touched it in the first place, but only after it was too late to change her future.
Many innocent people are hurt because of this flower and because of the actions of others, this is how real life works most of the time. The end is good and even with the on and on and on the book went, I enjoyed the story and the ending. If I hadn't needed to review it I'm not sure I would have worked through it so fast. Lots of pages and many could have been cut to allow the story to be more easily discovered by the reader.
I won this on Goodreads giveaways.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I have enjoyed the characters and the historical content of the story, I have found it to be a somewhat slow read. The story begins when Alice removes a rare Lady Slipper plant from the woods of Richard Wheeler. Then the trouble begins. It causes a rift between her and the wealthy landowner Geoffrey Fisk, an evil man. He later frames Alice for a murder that he committed, sending her to gaol awaiting to be hanged after a shame of a trial. She was also set up by her maid Ella who has her claws into Alice's husband, a man of weak character. The story also exemplfies how women and those of little means were treated with little respect, and given no opportunites. The story also weaves in the plight of the Quakers and there battle for peace and equality. A satisfying read for those who enjoy historical fiction.

[Annemarie Neary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met the author briefly at the recent HNS conference, and then when I got home I noticed that this book had been included in the official goody bag. I set to read right away, and I’m glad I did. One of the things I liked most about this was the tone of dialogue – a ferociously difficult thing to get right in this genre. Swift gives her characters naturalistic speech that is neither too modern nor too antique. She pulls off a similar achievement when it comes to the extent of the historical detail she includes. Just enough to make us trust her and her C17th settings, and not enough to be distracting. Her narrative is skilful and involving and moves along at a confident pace. Excellent historical fiction.

[Eliza Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

It comes as no surprise to discover that Deborah Swift is a set and costume designer. Her eye for detail makes her debut a smoothly-plotted, authentic read. She keeps the strands of her story taut and I found myself unable to put The Lady's Slipper down. Deborah Swift is an author to watch.

[✨ Gramy ✨]

.
Others have been mesmerized by this book and they are rightly entitled to their individual opinions

It has an interesting title, but I quickly became bored. I simply could not become immersed in this book.

I am off to more appealing works in my perspective!

[Sarah Rogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written novel which will be of interest to anyone with links to the North Lancashire/South Cumbria area where the book is set.

[Marguerite Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I think of the Restoration, Rose Tremain's book of the same name, and the follow-on Merivel come to mind. Fidelis Morgan's fabulous Countess Ashby de la Zouche trilogy is set a bit later, but it has all that romping, decadent, colourful corruption that I associate with Charles II's court. But The Lady's Slipper isn't about the court or London. It's set in rural England, where the people are struggling to come to terms with the horrible aftermath of a brutal civil war, and to try to forge out new lives, to 'fit' the puritanism which had been forced on them into a world which now, contrarily, demanded that they forget all about it - and 'restore' themselves to life as it was.

It's a fascinating time, and a really enthralling setting for a book. There's not only the fact that people's faith and way or life are once again being turned topsy turvy, there's the fact that they are having to come to try to live with the neighbours they fought, with the terrible things that were done, and which they did themselves, in times of war - and civil war is always particularly brutal. And then there is poverty, real abject poverty, and the confusion of trying to once again revere a glamorous king who doesn't actually give a damn about anyone.

All of this is really well told in this book. The different sides are represented, the true heartache and pain and conflict is there, as is the harshness of judgement, the terrible bias and - maybe even worse - the utter injustice of a legal system that doesn't even let the defendant speak. In this sense, I enjoyed the book - for the history and for the causes, and for the things it made me consider, in the context of the Restoration, for the first time.

But...

Firstly, there was the story. A misleading blurb maybe, but I thought it was a story about The Lady's Slipper orchid, about herbalism and wise women and medicine, a mystery around the orchid itself. In fact, the orchid is more of a catalyst, and the story goes off in all sorts of different directions unassociated with it. There's nothing wrong with this at all, but it's not what I expected.

Then there were the characters - or the lack of characterisation, I should say more accurately. For me, there was something missing even in the most important character of Alice. I never really got inside her head, I never really knew what she was thinking except where I was told directly. I felt as if I was hearing her story recounted, rather than as if I was living it with her. This was in part due to the quite passive narrative style, which (a personal preference here) I am not a fan of. I like to be in there with the action and the feelings, I don't like them to be passed on to me like a story - that is not meant to be ironic! So I never really engaged, and as a result, it not only took me quite a bit to get into the book, I must admit, there were times when it dragged.

And that's my last issue with it. It simply felt far too long. There was a big chunk in the middle where the pace really picked up (and I won't say which, because I don't want to spoil the story) but the ending, for me, went on and on quite unnecessarily, in order to tie up every single loose end. By the time it came, I felt relief rather than pleasure, I'm afraid, which is a shame.

A serious edit, and I'd have enjoyed this much more - I'm horribly aware of how patronising this can sound, I'm so sorry, but I do try very hard to explain what worked and didn't work for me. The history was great. I loved the premise, and I'd very much like to read more books set in this period written from a rural/civil war impact/non-court point of view. But I'm not sure I'll be reading the sequel to this one.

[Colleen Chesebro · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a gardening enthusiast, I was drawn to this book because of the rare orchid. The book blurb literally drew me in.

The time period centers on the Quaker Revolution in Great Britain, a time period I was not familiar with. The orchid becomes the catalyst that moves the story forward in strange and unusual ways.

Alice Ibbetson, an artist who paints flowers and plants, is still grieving from the death of her little sister. Her neighbor, Richard Wheeler, a newly converted Quaker, shares the existence of the rare lady's slipper orchid with Alice. The plant was long thought to have been extinct in England.

Alice pleads with Richard to let her dig up the orchid in order to protect it. Richard refuses, and Alice takes matters into her own hands and steals the flower hoping to save it, with the idea that she could grow more.

Richard is outraged and bound and determined to prove that she took the flower. Fearing for her life, Alice enlists the help of an overbearing lord who desires the flower as a cure for a disease he's suffered from his entire life.

Trusting no one, Alice plots a way to preserve the plant, but thoughts of war are sweeping the land. Soon, Alice and Richard find themselves immersed in the conflict. They are sucked in by the trickery of the greedy lord, while Alice's maid works her intentions on Alice's husband and wealth.

There was sex in the book, so be prepared for the author's portrayal of the raw realities of life during this time period which underscores the people's affinity for believing the worst in people. This also illustrates the power their religion held over them. The story reads like a tragedy, although karma brings the story to a satisfying close. 

I found the Lady Slipper to be entertaining and a real page-turner. If you love Historical Romance filled with intrigue, this is one book you will enjoy. 

MY RATING:
Character Believability: 5
Flow and Pace: 5
Reader Engagement: 5
Reader Enrichment: 5
Reader Enjoyment: 5
Overall Rate: 5 out of 5 Stars

[Beaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual genre but I really enjoyed this historical romance and would read more by this author x

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

I found it very hard to get into the story. I didn't like any of the characters and I found myself not caring what happened to them.

[Kenya Starflight · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but I'm usually willing to give books outside my preferred genres a chance if the premise is interesting. And while the Quaker Revolution in Great Britain didn't necessarily appeal to me, the fact that the book (supposedly) centered on the theft of a rare flower seemed interesting enough. Alas, the flower theft turns out to be fairly inconsequential to the plot, and instead the book centers on unpleasant people doing unpleasant things, a forced romance, and plenty of sex both graphic and implied.

Alice Ibbetson is an artist specializing in flowers and plants, still grieving from the death of her little sister but finding solace in her love of plants and herb lore. When her neighbor, a newly converted Quaker named Richard Wheeler, shows her a rare and precious flower growing on his land -- the lady's slipper, long thought wiped out in England -- she begs him to let her dig it up and protect it. But when he refuses, she takes matters into her own hands and steals the rare flower in the hopes of saving it and growing more of the same. With help from an arrogant lord who sees the flower as a cure for an ailment he's suffered from all his life, she sets out to preserve it... but revolution is brewing in the land, and both Alice and Richard find themselves caught up in the crossfire -- thanks to the machinations of the greedy lord and Alice's own maid who has designs on Alice's husband and wealth...

Warning: despite its themes of Christianity and being faithful, there's quite a bit of sex in this book. Readers uncomfortable with badly-written sex scenes may wish to skip it.

The title of this book IS something of a double meaning -- it refers both to the flower and to a garment of clothing that ends up incriminating Alice at some point. Still, I had hoped for the flower to factor more into the plot. Yes, its theft kicks off a grander chain of events, but I came away from the book's summary expecting various parties warring with one another for ownership of the flower. Instead the grappling over the flower falls by the wayside to focus on torrid affairs, the Quaker Revolution, and a plot to destroy Alice. I wouldn't have minded the shift in story quite so much had it been well-written, but the author's writing, while servicable, tends to be clumsy and switch between gushing "purple prose" and dry workmanlike prose. The pacing isn't great either -- plodding and glacial in some parts, and rushed in others.

It doesn't help that there are few, if any, likable characters in this book. We're meant to root for Alice, but she acts selfishly and arrogantly for much of the novel. (She improves toward the end of the book, but for some readers that may be too little, too late.) Her husband is a wet blanket and a lecher, her maid is a backstabbing opportunist who seduces her husband behind her back, and the noble she allies with early on is almost utterly irredeemable and such an obvious villain I'm surprised he doesn't twirl his mustache at any point -- and efforts to make him sympathetic fall rather flat. Richard Wheeler is fairly flat and uninteresting -- and him getting graphically aroused thinking about Alice, even in church, is uncomfortable to read about. The evil noble's son could have been an intriguing character, but again he's too flat to care much about. The most interesting character to me was Margaret, an eccentric woman obsessed with herbs and their healing properties, but she gets little time to shine in the book.

Also, efforts are made toward the very end of the book to make Ella, the maid out to poach Alice's husband, sympathetic, but after all her shenanigans and plotting throughout the book, I just didn't have the wherewithal to care about her fate. Evidently this "saving throw" on the part of the author was done to set things up for an Ella-centric sequel, but I have no desire to read a book about a character who was painted as a villain for 99% of the book and only made slightly redeemable through a throwaway paragraph at the end.

This isn't the most terrible book I've ever read -- not even the most terrible Kindle freebie I've ever read. But it was disappointing, and at best I'd call it mediocre. If you enjoy "The Lady's Slipper" and have a high tolerance for clunky prose, you might get some enjoyment or just something to kill time out of it, but if you like your fiction with a little more substance (and less focus on rowdy sex), look elsewhere.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Westmoreland in 1660, where Alice Ibbetson, a young wife mourning the loss of a beloved younger sister, is passionate about painting wild flowers. When Richard Wheeler, a local Quaker who was once a member of Cromwell’s New Model Army shows her a rare orchid, the Lady’s Slipper, growing in his wood, Alice is so obsessed with preserving and cultivating the flower she tries to convince Wheeler to give it to her. When the Quaker insists the flower must grow where God intended, Alice creeps out of her house one night and steals it.

I did wonder if there was more to this story than Alice’s obsession with a flower, and the fact she confided her ‘crime’ to the odious Geoffrey Fisk seemed a strange choice bearing in mind the man’s character and reaction to her secret. Why would a simple girl like Alice would associate with such an awful man, let alone put herself in his power. Even Alice’s maid, Ella, uses knowledge of her mistress’ deceit against her.

At first, I imagined Richard Wheeler to be the villain of the piece, with his uncompromising attitude, but he proves to be the hero of the story. Tall, broad and with penetrating dark eyes and hair, his character proves the most honourable and brave amongst a society where the rich and influential are still allowed to run roughshod over the less fortunate.

As I became immersed in Ms Swift's prose, the story became less about a flower, and more about how obsession can ruin lives and make people lose perspective.

There is some surprising eroticism in the latter chapters which I didn’t expect and for me, brought nothing to this already atmospheric story.

Deborah Swift’s writing style, combined with her knowledge of mid 17th Century life is masterful in her portrayal of a crueller and less tolerant time, where suspicion is enough to condemn the innocent and women were definitely regarded as the cradle of all evils. Alice’s spell in gaol was particularly chilling and I was glad to finish that chapter. The attitudes of the 17th century are unique, and if you enjoy reading about them, there is Ms Swift's sequel, using some of the characters in her first book to look forward to.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's 1660 in Westmorland and Alice Ibbetson tiptoes into the night to steal a rare plant, a Lady's Slipper orchid, from her neighbor. The theft lets loose a series of events....infidelity, murder, deceit...

I haven't read a book this quickly in a long time. I didn't want to put it down. There is so much drama over a flower. I learned about orchids and medicine preparation. I learned about prisons and lynch mobs.

There were a few points that bothered me. How does someone suddenly become a Quaker and decide to adopt the Quaker speech? Richard Wheeler went from a rich man to a Quaker. Stephen Fisk adopted the speech and became a Quaker. Even Alice tried the Quaker speech on for size when she was with Richard. There has to be more than changed speech when one becomes a Quaker.

I loved the book until it turned into a romance. The relationship between Alice and Richard Wheeler was a bit odd, uncomfortable and underdeveloped. They barely saw or had much to do with each other and then they fell in love and spent the rest of their lives together? Luckily, the romance didn't come until the end and I was able to enjoy the majority of the book.